Considerations on COM(2017)267 - EU position in UNECE as regards amendments to a series of UN Regulations, a Technical Regulation on the evaporative emission test procedure, a decision on using term "UN GTR"

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dossier COM(2017)267 - EU position in UNECE as regards amendments to a series of UN Regulations, a Technical Regulation on the evaporative emission ...
document COM(2017)267 EN
date May 29, 2017
 
(1) In accordance with Council Decision 97/836/EC 1 , the Union acceded to the Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) concerning the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted to, and/or be used on, wheeled vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of those prescriptions (the ‘Revised 1958 Agreement’).

(2) In accordance with Council Decision 2000/125/EC 2 , the Union acceded to the Agreement concerning the establishing of global technical regulations for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or be used on wheeled vehicles (the ‘Parallel Agreement’).

(3) Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 3  replaced the approval systems of the Member States with a Union approval procedure and established a harmonised framework containing administrative provisions and general technical requirements for all new vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units. That Directive incorporated regulations adopted under the Revised 1958 Agreement (hereinafter referred to as UN Regulations) in the EU type-approval system, either as requirements for type-approval or as alternatives to Union legislation. Since the adoption of that Directive, UN regulations have increasingly been incorporated into Union legislation in the framework of the EU type-approval.

(4) In the light of experience and technical developments, the requirements relating to certain elements or features covered by UN Regulations Nos. 4, 6, 7, 14, 16, 19, 23, 30, 38, 48, 50, 51, 54, 55, 77, 80, 83, 87, 91, 98, 106, 112, 113, 119, 123, 129 and 143, as well as by UN Global Technical Regulations (GTR) Nos. 1 and 15, need to be adapted to technical progress.

(5) In order to lay down uniform provisions concerning the evaporative emission test procedure for the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP EVAP), a new UN Global Technical Regulation (GTR) should be adopted.

(6) In order to keep, at the request of the Unites States of America Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, their listings Number 11, Number 12 and Number 13 as candidates in the Compendium of Candidate UN Global Technical Regulations, those listings should be reaffirmed.

(7) In order to align the format of terms with similar terms used under equivalent agreements, such as the 1958 Agreement, and thus to improve the implementation of the 1998 Agreement and not to amend it, the term 'UN GTR' should be used in official documents under the 1998 Agreement.

(8) It is appropriate to establish the position to be adopted on behalf of the Union within the relevant Committees of the UNECE, namely the Administrative Committee of the Revised 1958 Agreement and the Executive Committee of the Parallel Agreement, as regards the adoption of the UN acts referred to above.